Automobile door locking structure



June 24, 1 941. I DALL 2,246,785

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCKING STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 28, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 1 v [on A20 $.E444

June 24, 19.41. v L 2,246,785

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK ING STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 28, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Yz-zrmhzzrw owxpeo Q DALL June 24, 1941. E 1 BALL 2,246,785

AUTOMOBILE noon LOCKING STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 28, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented June 24, 1941 AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCKING STRUdTURE Edward D. Dali, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 28, 1940, Serial No. 321,150

5 Claims. (.01. 292-335) My invention relates to door locking structure adapted particularly for the individual locking of the doors of vehicles such as automobiles.

An important object of the invention is to produce a comparatively simple and economically manufactured lock structure of the rocking main latch bolt type and an improved arrangement for control of the main latch bolt by a safety catch structure which locks the main bolt in cocked or unlatched position when the door is open and which, when the door is swung to closed position, will release the .main bolt in time for engagement of the main bolt with keeper structure for rocking thereby into latching position.

A further important object is to provide improved holding means engageable with the main latch bolt to force it toward complete latching engagement and to hold it in such latching enproved means. preferably key operable from the outside of the door, for dogging the holding means against release to prevent opening of the door by either the inside or the outside handle operation, with the arrangement such that the dogging means cannot be operated when the latch bolt is in unlatching position but can be operated only when the latch bolt is held in its latching position by the holding means.

Another important object is to provide locking 'or dogging means operable by the door inside handle when the latch bolt is in latching position to lock the latch bolt holding means against release movement, but such locking means being inoperable when the latch bolt is in unlatching position. I

The above enumerated and other features the invention are incorporated in the structure disclosed on the drawings, in-which drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the lock structure on the door and keeper structure mounted on the door post or frame;

Figure 2 is a section on plane II-II Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the latch bolt in its cocked position; I

Figure 4 is a sectionon plane IV-IV of Figure 1, the latch bolt being in latching position;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the latch bolt and safety catch entering the keeper structure;

Figure 6 is a rear elevation of the latch bolt;

Figure 7 is a top view of the latch bolt;

Figure 8 is a section on plane VIII-VH1 of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a plan view of-the inner member;

Figure 10 is a plan view of the outer holding member;

Figure 11 is a plan view of the housing for the holding members and the safety catch structure;

Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure B but showing a modified safety catch element:

Figure 13 is a front elevation to show the dogging member cooperable'with the safety catch member shown on Figure 12; and

Figure 14 is a section through the safety catch element, on plane XIV-XIV Figure 8.

The housing for the lock structure on the door comprises the base l0 and the flange ll thereon. The outside handle l2 for the door extends from the spindle l3 which carries the roll-back It. On the base III is a post I5 forming a fulcrum support, for the releasing and setting lever It. The roll-back I4 is within a housing l1 and a link l8 extends upwardly into the housing for engagement by the roll-back, the link at its lower end carrying va pin l9 extending through the arcuate slot 20 in the lever IS. A spring 2| anchored on the post l5 engages the pin l9 and holding tends to hold the link 18 in its upward position in engagement with the roll-back to hold the roll-back in its normal position. At its inner end, the lever I6 has the abutment ledge 22 against the top of which presses a spring 23- anchored to the post IS, the spring 23 tending to pin l9.- Upon downward swing of the outside handle l2, the roll-back M will shift the link l8 downwardly for clockwise rotation of the releasing lever l6, and upon release of the handle, the springs 2| and 23 will restore the lever, link and roll-back to their normal position, as shown hold the lever 56 in its normal position with the. lower end of its slot 20 in engagement with the cured to and extending from the lever l8. Upon downward swing of the inside handle 24 and rearward shift of the strap 28, engagement of the strap with the pin 32 will effect clockwise rotation of the releasing lever l6. By virtue of the slot in the strap 28, the outside handle and the inside handle of the door can be operated independently for effecting clockwise rotation of the lever' l6.

The latch bolt 33 is of V-shape and has the latching leg 34 and the setting leg 35. The latch bolt is operable in a housing 36 of oblong rectangular shape secured to the outer side of the flange ll of the lock structure housing. The latch bolt is rockable on a pin 31 extending through the housing 36 and secured at its ends to the flange l I and the outer wall of the housing.

The latch bolt is cooperable with a keeper element 38 secured adjacent to the door on the door post or frame F. The keeper element is of U-shape cross section, the outer portion 39 of its lower wall forming a guide and support for the housing 36 when the door is closed, the rear portion 39' of the bottom wall being offset downwardly to provide a shoulder 46 for engagement by the safety catch structure to be described later. Figures 3 and 5 show the latch bolt in its unlatched or cocked position and as the door is swung toward closed position the housing 31 in its latched position, the means shown comprising inner and outer holding members 42 and 43. The shapes of these holding members are clearly shown on Figures 9 and 10. The holding members have forwardly extending wings 44 .and 45 respectively for cooperating with the arcuate lug 46 extending inwardly from the latch bolt setting leg 35. The lug may be integral with the bolt or may be a separate piece and secured to the bolt as by means of pins 41. The lug projects through an arcuate slot 48 in'the flange II for cooperation with the wings of the holding members, the lug and the slot being concentric with the bolt rocking axis.

The holding member 42 has upwardly and downwardly extending guide legs 49 and 50 and the holding member 43 has similar legs 5| and 52,these legs being received by the upper guide tongues 53 and lower guide tongues 54 extending from a plate 55 and secured to the flange ll of the locking structure housing so that the holding elements may shift vertically. As shown on Figures 2 and 3, a spring 56 tends at all times to shift the inner holding member 42 downwardly while a spring 51 tends at all times to shift the outer holding member 43 downwardly. The lower edges 58 and 59 of the holding members 42 and 43 are above and in the path of the abutment 22 on the releasing lever I6 so that when the holding members are in their lower position, rotation of the lever l6 by operation of either the outside or the inside door handle will engage the abutment 22 with the edges 58 and 59 for raising the holding member.

The guide frame 55 for the holding members has an anchorage support 60 for a spring 6| which end engages a post 62 on the lug 46 of the latch bolt, this spring tending to rock the latch bolt to its cocked position. When the inside or outside door handle is operated for raising of the holding members, the edges 63 and 64 of the holding members below their wings 44 and 45 will be raised above the lug of the latch bolt and then, when the door is. swung open, the spring 6! can rock the latch bolt to its unlatching or cocked position. Then when the handle is released after opening of the door. the springs 56 and 51 will shift the holding members down with their wing edges 63 and 64 into engagement with the top of the lug, such frictional engagement tending to assist the spring 6! in holding the latch bolt in its cocked position, as shown on Figure 3.

When the door is swung shut from open positlon and the latch bolt engages with the keeper structure for rocking thereof into latching position, the latch bolt lug will be withdrawn from the wing edges 63 and 64 of the holding members and the released holding members will then be shifted downwardly by their springs tobring the front edges of their wings behind the rear end of the latch bolt lug so as to hold the latch bolt in its latching position. The wing edges 65 and 66 respectively are inclined so as to exert wedging or camming action against the latch bolt lug to force the latch bolt intimately into final latching engagement after the door has been closed, such wedging action following through to keep the door securely seated against its frame seat and holding the door against rattling. A single holding member with a long holding member 43, and then the wedging edge of the inner holding member will be free so that the outer holding member first exerts its wedging action against the latch bolt lug and then the wedging action of the inner holding member comes into play. flfiius, while the door is closed, its latch bolt will be under wedging pressure for rocking of the bolt to take up any slack and to hold the door securely closed.

Describing now the safety catch element and its control of the latch bolt, this safety catch element 61 is clearly shown on Figure 8. The element has the upper and lower guide legs 68 and 69 for engagement between the guide tongues 53 and 54 of the frame 55, the catch element 61 engaging the flange Ii behind the inner holding element 42. As best shown in Figures 8 and 14, the safety catch element 61 has a portion extending from its inner edge deflected outwardly and bent inwardly back on itself to provide a catch arm 16 which extends outwardly through a slot 1| in the flange H and into the housing 7 36 for the latch bolt, the housing in its bottom tion 39 of the keeper 33 and the catch member 81 is raised against the pressure of 'a spring 13. When the arm or bolt passes the shoulder 40 of the keeper element, the spring will shift the member 61 downwardly for projection behind the shoulder into its safety catch position as shown on Figure 4, i

The inner end of the catch bolt 10 is above and in the path of the abutment 22 on the releasing and setting lever l6, and when the door is closed and latched and either handle is operated for rotation of the lever 16, the holding members 42 and 43 are released from the latch boltand the safety catch member 61 is raised so that it can pass the shoulder 40 of-the keeper element for opening movement of the door. Thus, if the rocking latch bolt should become broken or incapable of holding the door in latched position, the safety catch will function to prevent opening movement of the door.

Besides functioning as a safety catch, the safety member 61 will function to lock the rocking latch bolt in its cocked position when the door is open so that the latch bolt may properly enter into latching engagement with the keeper element. As best shown on Figure 8, the safety catch member 61 has at its outer edge a depending tooth or hook l4 and the latch bolt lug 46 has adjacent to its rear end a notch for receiving the tooth or hook 14. When the latch bolt is in its cooked or unlatching position as shown on Figures 3 and .8, the notch 15 will be below the hook 14 for reception of the hook under pressure of the spring 13 acting against the safety catch member 81 and this interlocking engagement will hold the latch bolt in it cocked position when the door is open. When the member 61 isthus interlocked with the latch bolt, the end T0 of the member 31 will project a short distance below the bottom of the latch bolt housing 36, as indicated by dotted lines on Figure 5.

latching position. Thus the safety latch element performs the dual function of locking the locking latch bolt in its cocked position and safety latching the door. V

When the door is closed and latched, the outer holding member 43 is in its lowerposition but the inner holding member 42 is a distance above its lower position on account of the engagement of its wedging edge with the latch bolt lug, as

shown on Figure 2. At its lower end the outer holding element 43 is deflected inwardly to form a lip 16 below the end of the inner holding member 42, Now when either door handle is swung for rotation of the releasing lever It, the lever abutment 22 will engage with the edge 59 of the outer holding member 43 to raise this member, then when the lip 16 reaches the lower end of the inner holding member 42, this member will also be raised and both holding members will then be raised for clearance of the latch bolt lug so that the lug may be rocked to its unlatching or cocked position.

Means are provided operable by the inside door handle for preventing opening of the door by the outside handle. The outer holding member 43 is deflected inwardly to form a lip 11. -When the door is in latched position and the holding members 42 and 43 are in their holding position, as shown on Figures 1 and 2, the lip 'i'l will be just below the strap 28 so that when the inside handie 24 is swung upwardly, the strap will be shifted this distance being just suflicient so that when the door is swung to closed position, the engagement of the projecting end with the front portion 39 of the keeper element will cause upward shift of the member 61 to withdraw its hook 14 from the latch bolt notch '15 so that the latch bolt will be freed for engagement with the latching abutment 4| of the keeper element to be thereby rocked into latching engagement. The catch member 61 cannot move down to catching position until the rear end of the latch bolt lug t6 clears the hook 15, and then the bolt end 10 of the catch member will pass the shoulder '40 of the keeper element and the spring 13 will then shift the member 61 down with its end 10 in catching position for safety latching of the door. After the latch bolt abutment 46 clears the safety catch member 61, it will clear the wedge ends 66 and B5 of the outer and inner holding members 43 and 42 which 'members willthen be shifted downwardly by their springs into wedglng engagement with the latch bolt or final setting thereof into secure latching position.

If, while the door is open, and either door han- .dle is turned full distance while swinging the door to closed position, the safety catch member 61 will be raised its full distance to raise the bottom of its bolt end It above the lower surface of the housing 36 so that the door will be moved shut and to its latching position without engagestructure, and thenwhen the handle is released after the door has been closed, the catch member 61 will be shifted down back to its safety ment of the catch member 51 with the keeper outwardly to project its outer end above and in the path of the lip'Ti to lock the outer holding member 43 against upward shift and thereby prevent released the latch bolt. As the holding member 43 is thus locked against upward shift, the lever Hi cannot be rotated and therefore the outside door handle cannot be swung down, and the door is thus locked against ingress.

The lever arm 21 of the inside handle mechanism is normally yieldably held in neutral position byv the engagement of a spring 18 'in the notch 13 in the arm. When the inside handle is swung upwardly for dogging of the holding members, the spring 18 will engage in the notch 30 to hold this dogging condition.

Means are also provided operable from outside of the door for preventing opening of the door by means of either handle. This is accomplished by locking the holding members against latch bolt release movement. For this purpose, the outer holding member 43 is provided with a laterally extending detent arm BI, and on a spindle 82 journaled by the base wall I!) is secured a dogging arm 83. The spindle may be rotatable by key means operable from th outside of the door. In. its normal position, as shown on Figure 1, the dogging arm 33 extends downwardly out of the path of the detent arm 8! on the holding member 43 so that the holding member may be raised by operation of either door handle for release of the latch bolt. However, when the door is latched and the holding members are in their holding position, the detent arm 8| will be below the path of the dogging. arm so that the spindle can be turned by the key means for swing of the dogging arm into position directlyabove the detent arm so as to lock the holding members against upward latch releasing shift. .When

the holding members are in their upper latch bolt releasing position, the detent arm 8| will be in the path of the dogging arm 83 so that this arm cannot be swung into dogging position.

Figures 12 and 13 show a modified arrangement for locking the door from the outside against latch release by either the inside or the outside handle. The key operated spindle 88 carries a dogging arm 85 which, upon anti-clockwise turning of the spindle will be swung up into the path of an arm 86 depending from the releasing lever It so that this lever will be locked against rotation by either door handle and unlatching of the door prevented. Dogging of the lever 86 can be accomplished only when the door is in latched condition. In this latched condition, a lateral extension 8'! on the safety catch member 61 is out of the path of a wing 88 on the dogging arm 85 so that the dogging arm may be swung into dogging position relative to the releasing lever it. However, when the door is in unlatched condition and the safety catch member 61 is in its upper position, its extension 81 will be in the path of the wing 88 and the spindle 85 cannot be turned for dogg of the lever I6.

I have shown practical and eflicient embodiment of the various features of my invention but I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction, arrangement or operation described as changes and modification are possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. Lock structure for the door of an automobile comprising a latch bolt on the door rockable into latching or unlatching position, keeper structure adjacent the door cooperable with the latch bolt when the door is closed to eiIect rocking thereof into latching position, locking means engageable with the latch bolt when in its unlatching position to rigidly lock it in.such position and cooperable'with the keeper structure in advance of said latch bolt when the door is moved toward closing position to be shifted out of locking engagement with the latch bolt to free the latch bolt for interlatching engagement with the keeper structure, releasable holding means for holding the latch bolt in latching engagement with the keeper structure, and releasing means on the dOOr operable to release said holding means and thereby permit opening of the door.

2. Locking structure for a vehicle door comprising keeper means adjacent to the door, a rocking latch bolt on the door for interlatching engagement with the keeper means when the door is swung to closed position, safety latch means on said door interlocked with said latch bolt when the door is open to lock said bolt in unlatched or cocked position, means whereby when the door is swung to closed position said safety latch means will cooperate with the keeper means for unlocking of said bolt for interlatching engagement thereof with said keeper means and whereby after such unlocking, said safety latch means will be in position for safety latching cooperation with the keeper structure, holding means on the door for holding said latch bolt in latching engagement, and releasing means on the door for releasing said holding means from said latch bolt and for moving said safety latch means for opening of the door.

3. Locking structure for a vehicle door comprising keeper means adjacent to the door, a rockable latch bolt on the door, a safety catch on the door, spring means holding said safety catch interlocked with said latch bolt to hold said latch bolt in unlatching position while the door is open, said safety catch when said door is swung toward closing position being cooperable with the keeper means to be unlocked thereby from said latch bolt for releasing said latch bolt for interlatching engagement with the keeper means, said safety catch after interlatching engagement of said-latch bolt with the keeper means being set by said spring means into posi tion for safety latching cooperation'thereof with said keeper means.

4. Locking structure for a vehicle door comprising keeper means adjacent to the door, a rockable latch bolt on the door adapted for engagement with the keeper means to be rocked into interlatched engagement therewith when the door is moved to closed position, a vertically shiftable locking element interlocked with said latch bolt to rigidly hold said bolt in unlatched or cocked position when the door is open, and means controlled by the keeper means in advance of engagement therewith by said latch bolt for unlocking said locking means from th latch bolt for interlatching engagement of the bolt with the keeper means, holding means for holding said latch bolt in interlatching engagement with the keeper means, and releasing means on said door operable to release said holding means for rocking of the latch bolt back to lmlatching position and for resetting said locking means for interlocking engagement with said latch bolt when the door is swung open.

5. Locking structure for a vehicle door comprising keeper means adjacent to the door, a latch bolt on the door, a safety catch on the door, means normally holding said safety catch interlocked with said latch bolt to hold said latch bolt in unlatching position while the door is open, said safety catch when said door is swung toward closing position being cooperable with the keeper means to b first moved thereby to be unlocked from said latch bolt for releasing said latch bolt for interlatching engagement with the keeper means and being then released for movev ment into position for safety latching cooperation with the keeper means.

EDWARD D. DALL. 

